Sid cradled the weighty feeling of his abdomen in his hand. It wasn’t round yet, he could just feel the developing firmness under his belly button, but it would get there, and soon. Sid knew it would. Geno had triggered something in him and there was no undoing it. Sid would have to ride this wave out.

“I see hearts. I sing people their deepest desires. You, for example.” Gabriel rolls his head to the side, damp curls bouncing over his eyes as he looks up at Jack. “You’re an adventurer. You want a new challenge, a frontier to try yourself against.” He reaches up one dark-clawed hand to trace it down Jack’s face. He’s as mysterious and mesmerizing as any of his promises, and Jack doesn’t pull away.